What Is Love?
by Leilsel97
Summary: What happens when Gaara asks Kushina what love is? Short one shot. Warining: if you are homophobic, against ghosts, or don't like Kushina's opinions about love, DON'T READ and don't flame either, it isn't nice


**I'm still working on Not Just Rivals. I haven't started the new chapter yet (don't hurt me!) but I didn't get that many reviews. No reviews, no chapter. Hey, I have stuff to do and I'm not going to sit around wringing my brain out for chapters that no one reviews. I appreciate all the people who added me or my story to their favorites, alerts, or subscribed. Thank you to the few people who actually reviewed. So this short one shot here is 1,432 words long (minus this extra special blah blah) and I stayed up late writing it and I worked kind of hard (even though I kept getting off task...). But anyways R&R. WARNING: This story contains Gaara and Naruto as five year olds. The slightly shonen-ai stuff isn't romance, it's strictly platonic. I'm not against shonen-ai (Sasunaru for ever). If you are homophobic, or if ghosts or opinions about love that you might not agree with philosophically offend you, DON'T READ.**

**PS. This is a one shot but it doesn't have to stay that way, if you want to work with me to extend the story pm me. Or if you want to adopt the story pm me and at least mention that it was inspired by this fiction and I might make a second chapter dedicated to the stories (with the author user names) based on this. It would be really cool. Cookies and love! DEUCES XP**

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In an empty Konoha park, a sad red headed little boy sat on an abandoned swing. The wind swirled leaves and the sun smiled at him as if it wanted to cheer up the glum little fellow. He sat on the swing's wooden seat, his legs drifting back and forth making the swing move in a slow, sad sweeping motion. He was staring with sea foam green eyes at the dirt when he felt a tug on the soft tan material of his shawl. Standing before him was a wide eyed kid with spiky, saffron colored hair and ultramarine eyes. He just looked at the other boy with melancholy pale, pupil-less eyes. "Who are you?" asked the depressed looking blonde.

This took the vermilion haired boy by surprise. No one had ever asked him his name before, especially not in such a polite tone. "Atashi wa Sabaku no Gaara."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara just gazed at Naruto. Naruto's eyes were different. They were not like the eyes of his father, or Yashamaru, or the villagers. There was no hatred or fear; just sadness and loneliness. "Your eyes look like mine. Are you sad, too?" Gaara nodded. Naruto tugged at Gaara's sleeve again as he began to walk away. Gaara followed. The town was a blur as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. His father and the only person who had ever seemed to love him both hated and tried to kill him. Even his mother had died hating him. Gaara remembered the fearful, hateful, merciless, and sometimes indifferent stares of the villagers back in Sunagakure. He thought about how he couldn't feel physical pain due to his inability to hurt himself. His brother and sister seemed to hate him as well. Every one except this Naruto person seemed to hate or fear him.

When they stopped, they were high up and the village looked tiny. They were standing on top of giant stone heads. "These are the Hokage Monuments… the heads of the first four Hokage." Gaara nodded. Naruto sat down and Gaara followed in suit. Naruto could only imagine how lonely Gaara was. He at least had Iruka, the Third Hokage, Old Man Teuchi and Ayame. But Gaara, as far as he knew was all alone with no family. Why was life so cruel to him, and more importantly cruel to Gaara?

Naruto turned his head to look at Gaara. He reached out his hand to brush his finger tips against the ai kanji on his forehead. "Do you have any family?"

Gaara nodded, "My dad sent ninjas after me to kill me including my uncle, but I killed them all. Kankuro and Temari could hate me for all I know; they are my brother and sister. Oh, and my Mom died hating me."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. He didn't know his father or how he died, but Gaara's dad had tried to kill him. Naruto never new his mother like Gaara, but Gaara's mom had died hating him. Why was such cruelty allowed? Why did the villagers hate him? Why did Gaara's own family hate and fear him? It wasn't fair, not fair at all. He was started from his thoughts when he felt Gaara's small hand on the whisker like scars on his cheeks.

"What are these from?"

"I'm not sure." Naruto's sky blue eyes watered with tears until he felt a sharp pain in his finger and looked over to see Gaara holding his hand to his mouth and biting his finger. Tears misted over Gaara's sea green eyes as well. Both boys started crying silently. Naruto pulled Gaara toward him in a hug. They didn't move from their position; Naruto in Gaara's arms their hands clasped together, tears streaming down their cheeks. Gaara began to suck Naruto's finger. They didn't move until they heard a soft voice,

"Naruto-kun, why are you crying? Who's your friend?"

Naruto looked up in shock, "Who -who are you?" he stuttered.

A red headed woman with amaranthine eyes and a beautiful voice spoke, "I am Uzumaki Kushina"

"I'm Gaara."

"Nice to meet you Gaara-kun. I'm Naru-kun's mom"

"Mom?" Naruto's eyes widened, if that is even possible.

Kushina knelt next to the boys and wiped away their tears, "No tears, now. Such sad lonely faces. Its okay, you are never alone, now. I'm dead, so I have to go soon but I will never be fully gone because I love you both."

"What is love?" Gaara asked.

Kushina smiled sadly, "Love is a lot of things; everyone has their own thoughts about love. I think love is true kindness, when you are kind just because you want to and for no other reason. When you love someone you want to make them happy and don't ever want to see them hurt. When you love someone you know deep in the pit of your heart that no matter what, you would sacrifice anything for the person or thing you love. If you love someone, it hurts to do something they don't like even if it's for their own good. If you love someone you want to be somebody that they can be proud of and you care at the bottom of your heart what they think of you and how they are feeling. I love you both, even if I couldn't be with you Naruto, I died loving you. Gaara, I know that we just met, but I love you too because I can't stand to see you sad and I want you and my son to smile a real smile. So don't be sad because I am leaving a piece of my heart with both of you and I want you to take care of it and share your love. Love is a funny thing, the more you give it away, the more you have. It is the best thing in the world when it is pure and the most hurtful thing in the world when tainted or twisted. What I am giving you is what I hope is pure love that will heal you and make you happy, but I hope it is not the best love that you will ever receive because I want for someone to one day be able to share an even purer more magical love with you. Don't give up love no matter what anymore because I gave you a piece and it would be a shame to think it was lost. It can never be taken away from you because it is always in your heart." Kushina kissed both boys on the forehead and smiling sadly, she faded away.

Naruto and Gaara could feel Kushina's love radiating in their hearts, healing them and taking away all the hurt. Naruto was the first one to break the silence, "I love you too, mom." he whispered.

Gaara nodded, "I also love Kushina-sama." he said softly.

"I love Iruka-sensei and Teuchi no baa san and Ayame-nee-chan. I love you, too. I can share my 'family' with you. I can be your family if you want."

Gaara smiled, "I love you too, and I will share my brother and sister with you. But not my father, he might hurt you." Gaara frowned.

"It's okay, Gaara! You're my brother, now. And we have Iruka, Teuchi, Ayame, and your onii-san and onee-san. They will protect us." Naruto smiled and leaned against Gaara. Gaara put Naruto's index finger back in his mouth. The two boys kept sitting on top of the Hokage Monument until Temari and Iruka found them like that.

"Where have you been?"

Naruto and Gaara looked up, "We've been up here for almost the whole time, cause before that we were at the park. Gaara's my brother, now!" Naruto chirped. His stomach made a strange growling sound.

"Would you like to go and get something to eat?"

"YAY! CAN GAARA COME, TOO? CAN HE, CAN HE?"

Iruka looked at Temari, "Fine, we can go, too. Kankuro has been whining about how hungry he is." This made Gaara smile, to Temari's surprise. The boys stood up and Gaara took Naruto's finger out of his mouth, but didn't let go of his hand. Smiling, the four ninjas walked away to a bright future.


End file.
